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One of the many benefits of being a sustainer of the Junior League of London is the opportunity to take part in fun cultural and social events. This morning i went to the nattional portrait gallery for a special breakfast and tour of this gem of an exhibition. This small exhibit illustrates the emergence of a group of intellectual, independent women seeking freedom from the conventions of the day-embroidery sited as a particularly onerous activity of the time! Above is Mde. de Stael- an inspiring woman of the period kicked out of france by Napoleon for her criticism of his regime.
This doesn’t have much to do with knitting unless you are interested in the blue stocking element( vs. classic white silk worn generally by the gentry of the time, but that is a whole different story..). However, it does lead you to consider popular perceptions of hand crafts of various periods as well as our own. Aren’t we glad that our own hand crafted efforts are not viewed as shackling (sp?), don’t we all wish we had more time just to knit or needlepoint? Don’t you just hate the Shreddies ad with grannies knitting cereal pieces ( haven’t seen the staples ad with men’s sweaters yet..) Could go on ,but i won’t. In any case, see this if you’re in the area- the exhibit closes 15th June.
on a lighter note, one of my favorite pix of Abel during our photo session with Derek the other day.
don’t worry- this one won’t make it on a pattern!
Filed under: culture and knitting, patterns knitting, travels Tagged: | brillant bluestockings, exhibit bluestockings, feminist knitting, junior league of london
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